Yardbarker: Jay Bruce

Fantasy Baseball Top Fives: Second Half Rookies

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:08:34 -0500

Impact rookies were the story of Major League Baseball's first half and as Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon explains, we should expect more of the same the rest of the way. But who will shine? Who will fade? And who will come out of left field?

Ken Griffey Jr.

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:24:20 -0500

For a while Ken Griffey Jr. of the Cincinatti Reds was on the trading block and was very likely to be dealt. Two teams in the bunch were his old team the Seattle Mariners and the surprise Tampa Bay Rays. I had thought he would have been dealt and with all the bats in the lineup from Brandon Phillups to Adam Dunn to even the rookie Jay Bruce it would not be that big of a blow to give the old legend Griffey away for a prospect or a younger player. Certaintly he would not get enough buzz to where the Rays would have to give up Evan Longoria or the Mariners giving away important pieces and prospects, but they each have some good prospects that are not too good to give up but are good fits for both sides. Griffey Jr. is my favorite player even though I have been a Yankee Fan forever and i was almost sure he was on the move. The Diamondbacks and the Mets could have taken an outfielder like Griffey. He has great veteran leadership and provides a nice bat for either of the lineups. Why is he not on the move and why does no team want to go after him?

MLB Stock Market - July 16th Edition

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:27:21 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon runs down several baseball Bulls and several baseball Bears in the latest edition of Stock Market. J.D. Drew? Oh yea, he's definitely a bull. Dan Uggla? Ehhhh ... not so much.

Jay Bruce

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:48:56 -0500

Hey hows it going last week i was at a cubs game and got lucky enough to be in the front row...anyway when i was there these two kids asked me if they could use my two tickets to get their friends down to the front row with them because they lost their tickets....i was going to say no way till they started to go on about how they were really good friends with jay bruce and said they would get me an autograph and a picture with him....sooo i let them use my tickets and yes about a half hour later jay came over and i got video of him and me talking and of him signing my baseball..i also got his manager dusty baker on the same ball.....anyway if any one is interested in buying or trading for the signed baseball my email is winston.martin49@hotmail.com I also have video of him signing the ball that i could send with the ball........if anyone is thinking of making trade offers i like stuff from the cubbbies or white sox and other super star players......thanks !!!!

Capps Down and Out

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:54:22 -0500

Matt Capps is out for 2 months leaving a void in the Pittsburgh bullpen. Clayton Kershaw also gets sent down to the minors while Jay Bruce is making a comeback in performance.

Fantasy Baseball Players of the Day - 7/2/08

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:01:22 -0500

Wednesday, July 2nd Jason Giambi hit a Grand Slam and drove in 6 Runs. Grady Sizemore went 3 for 4 with 4 Runs, 2 HRs, 2 RBI, a Walk, and a SB. Dustin Pedroia went 4 for 5 with 3 Runs, 2 Doubles, a Triple, a HR, and 2 RBI. Xavier Nady went 3 for 5 with 2 Runs, 2 HRs, and 3 RBI. Jay Bruce and Troy Glaus each hit 2 HRs and had 4 RBI. A.J. Pierzynski hit a pair of solo HRs. A-Rod scored 4 Runs and drove in 3. Orlando Hudson had 4 Hits. Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Jimmy Rollins, David DeJesus, Ramon Hernandez, Johnny Damon (3 Runs), Frank Catalanotto, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria (3 RBI), Andre Ethier, Ichiro Suzuki, Garrett Atkins (4 RBI), Jose Reyes, David Wright, Ray Durham (3 RBI), and Damion Easley (3 RBI) each had 3 Hits. Juan Rivera, Ryan Howard, and Miguel Cairo each had 3 RBI. Ryan Doumit and Bobby Abreu each scored 3 Runs. Nick Blackburn tossed 7 Innings of three-hit scoreless ball to improve to 7-4 with a 3.78 ERA. Hiroki Kuroda also threw 7 scoreless Innings allowing 5 Hits to improve to 4-6 with a 3.73 ERA. Daniel Cabrera pitched a Complete Game allowing 2 Runs to improve to 6-4.Ricky Nolasco gave up 2 Runs on 3 Hits with 8 Ks to improve to 9-4 with a 3.94 ERA. He beat Odalis Perez, who allowed 2 Runs in 6-2/3 Innings. Joe Saunders gave up 2 Earned Runs in 6-1/3 Innings to improve to 12-4 with a 3.04 ERA. Ubaldo Jimenez gave up 1 Run in 6-1/3 Innings to improve to 3-8. Yusmeiro Petit gave up 1 Run on 2 Hits in a 6 Inning no-decision. Jarrod Washburn gave up 2 Runs in 6 Innings to improve to 4-7. Ryan Dempster gave up 2 Runs with 7 Ks in a 6 Inning no-decision.

Top 11 MLB players that should be traded

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:23:44 -0500

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

11. Rich Harden, SP, Oakland A's. He's dominant when healthy, and not nearly healthy enough for the small market A's to make a commitment to. Even though the team is 7 games above .500 and has an outside chance at the post-season this year, the plan is for 2009, and considering that they've got Chad Gaudin in the bullpen, Harden will go to a rich contender that's willing to overpay for a guy whose shoulder gives off a ticking sound. There's also this: his home park makes him look better than he is, not that he's not filthy.

10. Adrian Beltre, 3B, Seattle Mariners. He's better than you think -- it's no fun to be a right handed power hitter on a Mariner team that seems to be allergic to getting on base, and he's been battling nagging injuries to boot. Despite that, he's got 14 homers, plays very good defense, and even runs a little. If Ortiz and Youkilis are both out in Boston, he'd be a fine stopgap solution, and the Mariners are more than happy to move assets right now.

9. Ken Griffey Jr, OF, Cincinatti Reds. It's Fire Sale Time in Cincy, with everything but the youngest SPs wearing a red tag. Griff has hit his 600th, so there's no more attendance boost to get from him being around. With the team 13.5 games back, he's a prime target to go to any team that thinks he'll be rejuvenated by a pennant race. The only problem is that his .760 OPS might convince many that he's already done.

8. Randy Wolf, SP, San Diego Padres. Another historic injury risk, but a heck of a lot cheaper on the wallet and prospect list. Wolf could be especially effective in the AL, where they haven't seen him much before, and a once around the league novelty burst might give his new team a lot. The Padres being in last in the crowded NL West also might loosen their hold.

7. Erik Bedard, SP, Seattle Mariners. This spring's shiny new penny -- albeit one that took an ungodly amount of time to acquire -- is now the most attractive albatross on a team that loses two out of every three games and has just lost its general manager and coach. Moving Bedard now is sending him out at low value, but he's a proven AL East talent with a lot of upside. Besides, no one wants Carlos Silva.

6. Matt Holliday, OF, Colorado Rockies. The biggest hitter on the list is kind of like this year's Mark Teixeria -- a plus hitter from a hitter haven who's actually still really good. The only thing keeping him in Colorado is the plummeting Diamnondbacks, who have kept every team in the division in the hunt; the Rockies might just hang on to everyone and see if the return of Troy Tulowitzki can get them back in the race. In another week or so, we'll know if Holliday walks before his contract expires.

5. AJ Burnett, SP, Toronto Rockies. The Jays are a hard team to figure. On the one hand, you've got to think that general manager JP Riccardi is on thin enough ice that he's not interested in going out with kids and prospects. On the other, Burnett is clearly not getting better here, and the Jays are 10.5 back in what might be the toughest division in baseball. Burnett has always been a poor man's Josh Beckett, so maybe another team makes Riccardi an offer he can't refuse.

4. Adam Dunn, OF, Cincinnati Reds. Everything you can say about Griff goes double for the Three True Outcome hero, whose .219 batting average masks his reasonably useful .876 OPS. Even Dusty Baker has to be getting tired of playing veterans and ready to give the team entirely over to Jay Bruce and Joey Votto by now, right? Dunn seems to me to be the kind of guy that can help a team provided he's hitting 6th or 7th, and you just aren't counting on him carrying your team. (I realize Dunn is a sabermetric hero, but doesn't it matter that his teams never, ever win?)

3. Dmitri Young, 1B, Washington Nationals. A nice guy and a reasonable stick, but he makes no sense here, especially with Aaron Boone giving them good at-bats and Ryan Zimmerman eventually coming back from injury. By the time the Nats are in a playoff race, Da Meat Hook could be pushing 350 pounds, and probably still putting up above average numbers. The potentially season-ending injury to Nick Johnson (gosh, who saw that coming?) could keep him here, though.

2. Huston Street, RP, Oakland Athletics. Billy Beane loves to move closers for more then they are worth, and that really describes the ex-phenom, whose 4.32 ERA, good defesne and pitcher's park seems to say overrated... but his K/BB numbers, pure stuff and low HR allowed numbers could easily convince a team in need that he's just been pitching in bad luck. The A's have never bought into the ideat that pitching in the ninth is all that different from any other inning, and they'd happily go with Keith Foulke and Alan Embree if someone wants to put prospects in front of them.

1. C.C. Sabathia, SP, Cleveland Indians. Don't let the slow start fool you; he's been very solid recently, and he's an unrestricted free agent next year. With the Tribe 6.5 out and in fourth place in the Central, they are 1-2 weeks away from pulling the chutes on this deal and moving the big lefty for maximum benefit. Ceec is a horse, but he also eats like one, and that next contract is going to be costly.

Matt Sosnick Talks Being a Player Agent

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:17:43 -0500

It Is About the Money, Stupid has an interview with player agent Matt Sosnick (http://itsaboutthemoney.blogspot.com/2008/06/interview-with-matt-sosnick.html). For those interested in Sosnick, I suggest reading Jerry Crasnick’s, License to Deal. IIATMS: Speaking of the Cubs, does Mark Cuban stand a chance at buying the Cubs or will it land in the hands of a Friend of Bud?MS: I’d be very surprised if Cuban ends up owning the Cubs, but that’s just speculation on my part, nothing more.IIATMS: There’s been a recent trend of locking up rookies with longer term contracts to buy out their arbitration years. How do you advise your players?MS: It’s completely a risk/reward discussion. Anything can happen to a player and we do encourage players to gain a sense of financial security who are concerned about that. And those that succeed will have a chance at a big contract again anyways. We just had Freddy Sanchez and Dontrelle (Willis) sign longer term deals so the money will be there again later if they perform. And if they don’t, they still have the benefit of the guaranteed money. Same goes for the younger guys. Regarding Jay Bruce, we’re open to a discussion. But he’ll still have a chance at a big money contract down the road if he continues to progress, no matter if he signs a deal now or not.More at the link. Tip of the hat to Craig Calcaterra.Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

Bruce bests Tiger in friendly match play round

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:17:33 -0500

CINCINNATI, OH — All is not well for Tiger Woods, even after the golfer further cemented his legacy with a dramatic victory in the 2008 U.S. Open. Cincinnati Reds outfielder/god Jay… Read more

Hopper Back, Bailey Down, Baker Is Starting To Get It

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:42:24 -0500

**Update** John Fay sucks and can't type down a line up correctly. Dunn is still 5th but my feelings are still the same. Two good moves, and one bad one in todays line up. 1. Joey Votto 1b 2. Jolbert Cabrera ss 3. Jay Bruce rf 4. Brandon Phillips 2b 5. Edwin Encarnacion 3b 6. Adam Dunn lf 7. Corey Patterson cf 8. David Ross c 9. Bronson Arroyo p Votto up in the order is great, Patterson down in the order is even better, but Dusty can't help himself as he drops Dunn down another spot. Someone needs to get a hold of Dusty and tell him how OBP is useful. Other things are Homer Bailey was sent down to AAA, Hopper is activated off the DL, and now we just sit back and wait to see who gets Saturdays start between Daryl Thompson and Josh Fogg.

Fantasy Baseball Top Fives: DHs and Rookies

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:54:47 -0500

With baseball season rapidly approaching the midway point, Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon has decided it's time to examine some early fantasy All-Stars. He continues this mini-series with a look at fantasy designated hitters and rookies, who, as you may have guessed, are led by the Rangers' Milton Bradley.

Clearing The Bases: Willie Out

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:18:54 -0500

Could the Mets have handled Willie Randolph's dismissal with any less class? First they keep him on the edge of his seat for weeks with rampant speculation of his termination. Then they send him out to the west coast only to fire him in the middle of the night. This coming after the Mets had won three of their past four games. Who is steering this ship?

The Untouchables

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:29:49 -0500

Today on a radio interview Reds GM Walt Jocketty named 5 untouchables. * Johnny Cueto * Joey Votto * Jay Bruce * Edinson Volquez * Edwin Encarnacion Ill post more on then tonight when I have a chance. To listen to the interview click here. Its about 24 minutes into the clip labeled "Lance 6/17 Hour 1"

My First Taste

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:07:37 -0500

What's up guys? So, yall probably forgot I was even on this site haha, sorry about that. My first taste of the Major Leagues has been everything I imagined plus more. Its the best of the best, and there is no other place to be. Before I got here, I never really understood why or how it was so hard for players to get sent down from AAA once they have been in the big leagues for a while. All I knew was AAA, and that's the best of the minors. The things that change in the big leagues aren't so much the game (I actually think its very similar to AAA, just everything being a little sharper), but its the little things such as better travel, better fields, better hotels that make it so much different. Everything is more conducive to the player being successful here. I'm having a blast, and when we start winning like we can, it's going to be even more fun. Later guys

Fantasy Baseball Top Fives: Up the Middle

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:49:17 -0500

With baseball season now nearly three months old, Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon has decided it's time to examine some early fantasy All-Stars. He continues this mini-series with a look at fantasy catchers and center fielders, who, as you may have guessed, are led by the Rangers' Josh Hamilton.